PP4 - The Enemy of the World 4

The story takes an unexpected turn about midway through this episode when (and beware the big spoiler here) Salamander descends in an elevator down to where a large group of humans are living under the impression that, on the planet's surface, a devastating nuclear war is raging, and Salamander is the only person who can save them by bringing them food. The whole thing as a bit of a shock, and it adds a layer to what was already, in my mind, an interesting political (and monster free) story.

Sadly, Fariah is shot and killed in this episode. Not that I'm turning the Chronic Hysteresis into a rundown of "The Hottest Babes in Doctor Who", but...well, let's just say that Carmen Munroe is enchanting as Fariah. Quite lovely, and her character would have made a great revolutionary against her boss, Salamander. Doctor Who has often killed off as many of the good guys/girls during stories as it has the bad ones, which, for dramatic purposes, is necessary, but it doesn't make it any less sad!

Once again, as in The Ice Warriors, Jamie and Victoria are put on the back burner for this episode (necessary, of course, because both Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling were on holiday that week). The practice of having to write out the regulars for a week or two has always had its pitfalls. Not only is one of the main character(s) taken out of the action for an entire episode, but the preceding and following episodes have to be spent putting them in a situation that leads up to them being out of the picture for a while, and then somehow brought back into the story in the episode after their absence. As it's difficult to have these characters in the main storyline and then, abruptly, not, that means that these characters are often relegated to background or to a sub-plot during the episode before their absence, at least, taking them even further out of the story. Both Jamie and Victoria hang around the kitchen for most of Episode Three - not exactly the centre of the action. It'll be interesting to see how they're integrated back into the action in Episode 5.

PP3 - The Enemy of the World 3

With Episode 3 being the only installment of The Enemy of the World in existence, we finally get to see Patrick Troughton's dual performance in all its full, 625-line, HD (for 1968) quality. It's actually quite a good performance, but that's what we've all come to expect from an actor as skillful as Troughton. His Mexican accent, though, is a bit dodgy, to be fair, or it just seems that way given that we're all so used to hearing Troughton in his normal voice.

Unlike previous and future "The Doctor's double" stories, this one works the best because while Salamander looks similar to The Doctor, the dictator has slightly darker skin and his hair is parted differently. This adds to the believability or the premise of this story. It also lets Troughton stretch his legs a bit in both roles. While William Hartnell was great in his dual role in The Massacre, his Abbot of Amboise featured so briefly onscreen, and was the exact double of The Doctor, that the impact of the performance was muted somewhat.

The other thing that stands out about this episode is how horribly it's edited. Scenes overlap and bleed into the next with reckless abandon. Video editing was still, apparently, uncommon back in those days, but out-of-order shooting had been done before this, and without the lacklustre results seen here. I could blame the editor, I could blame the unfamiliarity with the new 625-line broadcast system, but instead, I'll just blame director Barry Letts (don't worry. I'll let him off the hook in a few weeks.)

PP2 - The Enemy of the World 2

The main problem that I'm having with The Enemy of the World in these early stages is the fact that there are no establishing shots to show the many exotic locations that this story is supposed to take place in. One scene is apparently set in Australia. The next? In Hungary, we're told, in the Central European Zone. But there's nothing different between either place, other than the fact that George Pravda is in one of the Hungarian scenes. Taking this into account as our only indication that what we're watching is set in Hungary, can we also assume that Castelan Spandrell in The Deadly Assassin is also Hungarian?

Perhaps there isn't a local flavour to either Australia or Hungary in this because, apparently (again), the Australia-Hungary trip takes only two hours by rocket, so perhaps the people of the world can set up shop in other countries much earlier in the year....wait a second. What year is this? That's never clearly divulged, either, but it's a time if kinky rubber suited guards, quaint city parks, umm.....rockets.... It's such an odd mish-mash of timelines going on that it is remarkably difficult to pinpoint the time period that this story takes place in. Not that it's crucial to the telling of the story, but it would be nice to have a vague understanding of when this all happens, or, at least, the odd shot of one of these mythical international rocket ships taking off, landing, or travelling mid-flight.

Jamie, Victoria, and Astrid manage to sneak not only into Salamander's close proximity quite easily, but Jamie climbs a balcony to stand directly beside the Mexican dictator without having to dispatch a single guard. Salamander then rewards the young Scot's ingenuity by putting him and Victoria onto his payroll. You'd think Jamie had done the whole "government espionage" thing for a living before he joined up with The Doctor.

This is another relatively entertaining yet subdued entry, despite the best intentions of some over-the-top stock music and an even more OTT Milton Johns as Benik.

PP1 - The Enemy of the World 1

After The War Machines gave viewers and early look of just what was to come in Doctor Who once the 1970s arrived, we get to see a little more of the Pertwee era in The Enemy of the World. After some frolicking on the beach, The Doctor and friends are menaced by a pursuing hovercraft, then are rescued by Astrid in a helicopter. Fantastic action! Later, the helicopter explodes in a flurry of pyrotechnics and stock footage. Zam! Pow! What an action-packed adventure we have in store!

And then, after the budget is blown, everything settles down into the standard studio-bound stuff that we've become used to over the years, except for the fact that you can almost see the beads of sweat on Patrick Troughton's forehead (or would see, if the episode actually existed) from all the frantic costume changes he has to undergo for this story.

There's some political intrigue going on, though, that holds the attention, and it's nice to see that The Doctor doesn't trust Kent to begin with, but, when his hand is forced, he is thrust into the spotlight to play the doppelganger of Salamander. Cue end credit music.

OO6 - The Ice Warriors 6

It's about time that the Ice Warriors actually leave their ship, taking time out of their screen watching and hissing for a quick jaunt to the glacier base. There, they kill poor Walters (who looks suspiciously like Ian Levine), but are then chased back to their ship again, first by the heat being turned up (we'll surely never see that trick played again, will we?), and then a warning blast from their own sonic cannon, as operated by The Doctor.

The Doctor takes a big risk, as he himself admits, in aiming the cannon at the base, as all occupants at the time, both human and Ice Warrior, could possibly be killed. Naturally, he succeeds, just as, at episode's end, Penley's quick thinking and risk-taking manage to destroy the Ice Warrior ship. The final scenes between Penley and Clent are actually quite touching. Penley's possible return to the base full time is left ambiguous, and Clent has to file a report of everything that went on. Despite Clent's willing over reliance on computers, as he proudly says to Penley, he has "always written his own reports". Great closure to a great character in Clent.

Both of The Doctor's companions, Jamie and Victoria, really don't fare very well in this story. Apart from being chased by an Ice Warrior, Victoria stays by The Doctor's side for the rest of the story. Jamie, on the other hand, is shot twice in this story, spending a good amount of time unconscious afterwards while he recovers (often only to be shot and incapacitated again). Was Jamie even in the original script for this? This seems like The Moonbase all over again.

All in all, a reasonably entertaining story that should have been more of a showcase for its titular monsters, but was much more interesting on account of the human characters and the fractured relations between them.

OO5 - The Ice Warriors 5

There's a fantastic scene towards the end of this episode which finally sees the inevitable confrontation between Penley and Clent. Leading up to it, one could easily sense the animosity between the two characters as each would vent in the absence of the other, but their fear of this meeting also came through. When it happens, the two men try to start out with civility, but it very quickly degenerates as the performances of the two actors (Peter Barkworth and Peter Sallis) get better and better. Clent, who has guards with stun guns on his side, finally loses the will to continue the argument and orders Penley's (and Jamie's) shooting.

This whole story has been a thinly veiled statement about the battle between science and intuition (the classic battle between science and religion having been decided several times earlier in Doctor Who; most recently a TKO in The Abominable Snowmen). On the side of intuition and nature, Penley and Storr (along with that interloper, Jamie). On the side of science and computers, Clent, his sycophantic assistant Miss Garrett, and the Ice Warriors. In between the two lies The Doctor, who clearly dabbles in both fields and usually sides on the side where the authority doesn't lie.

Speaking of The Doctor, he neatly sidesteps last week's cliffhanger by merely agreeing to answer the Ice Warriors' questions. And he gives up only after the Ice Warriors count to three before turning of the atmospheric pressure in the airlock! At least them get to seven! The Ice Warriors, after looking ominous and looming in the early episodes, have only resorted now to standing around viewscreens in their spaceship, extruding and retracting their sonic cannon (never firing it), and wiping out the odd fur-wearing local. I hope for better things in the finale.

OO2 - The Ice Warriors 2

We get our first real look at the new monster of the week in Season, the Ice Warrior, in Episode Two. And very impressive it is, too. It's claws are ready-made to be turned into a Lego minifigure, but the most effective aspect of the Ice Warrior is the hoarse whisper that is its voice. Coupled with the constant hissing sound effect of the Ice Warrior trying to breathe in the non-Martian atmosphere, it makes for an instantly memorable villain.

Being from Canada, I'm not that aware of the fact that Peter Sallis (Penley) is more famous today for another role on British TV (Last of the Summer Wine). This makes for an interesting perspective. While most people in the UK might instantly think of Sallis in a different role the second they see him or hear his voice, to we in North America, he's just another actor playing a role. I'll talk more about this, though, in a few months when it comes time to talk about some of John Nathan-Turner's casting decisions...

On the topic of casting, though, I have only seen Angus Lennie portray an endearing Scottish stereotype, a comic little fellow who, while well meaning, always seems to snuff it before the end of the programme. Based on that history, my hopes aren't high for him on this one, either...

OO4 - The Ice Warriors 4

Both Storr and The Doctor make alarmingly bad decisions in this episode in regards to the Ice Warriors, and they both are made to pay for their stupidity. And all, it seems, just to advance the story along.

Storr, to this point, has been a lovable rogue who hates anything to do with scientists, or science in general. Such is the debate in the year 3000, with most of the Earth covered in ice, and the "loyalists" hell bent on assuming that the scientists are the ones responsible. Storr, a loyalist himself, only hooks up with Penley in the arctic wasteland because Penley has, himself, thrown off the shackles of technology, as well (or, at the very least, technology according to Clent). Seemingly, Storr doesn't trust anyone...until he startingly decides to try and confront the Ice Warriors and convince them that he's on their side. Ignoring all the best advice from his friend Penley, Storr beards the lion in its den and visits the Ice Warrior ship, only to prove his worthlessness and get killed by a well placed Ice Warrior Mirrorlon attack. The only reason for this that I can see is that Storr had, by now, outlived his usefullness, and needed erasing lest Angus Lennie be paid for another episode for which he was not needed.

Later on, The Doctor tries to get himself taken prisoner by the Ice Warriors in order to gain access to their ship's interior in order to sabotage it. This is, of course, flying the face of evidence that the Ice Warriors are already known to shoot to kill. The Doctor goes so far as to make demands of the Ice Warriors while trapped in the airlock of the ship. The Ice Warriors respond in kind by draining the atmospheric pressure in the airlock, giving The Doctor ten seconds to live. Nice move, Doc. It sure did supply a convenient end to the episode, though...

OO3 - The Ice Warriors 3

It is in this episode where The Doctor's dislike of computers becomes most intense. He spends the better part of a night and early morning scribbling down notes and calculations on bits of paper, often discarding them shortly afterwards in crumpled heaps all over the floor, instead of consulting the base computer for the answers. Was all that defiance really necessary? Surely the Doctor would be clever enough to glean information out of any computer, even one with a rotary dial on it like Clent's treasured base computer (ah, the futuristic 60s).

The Doctor's opinion of computers seem to mirror the distrust and unfamiliarity of computers that society had for them around the same time that the episodes were made. They were almost non-existent (or, at least, relatively ignored) in William Hartnell's era until 1966's The War Machines, when goverment ministers were keen to broadcast their arrogant ignorance towards computers to the world and hope that The Doctor would explain to them the science behind it all. After Troughton's standoff-ish attitude towards them, Jon Pertwee at least had a love-hate relationship with them - not wanting to use them, but realizing their true potential. Thankfully, future incarnations (apart from sarkiness in Colin Baker's era, but what wasn't he sarky about?) never seemed as antiquated as their predecessors.

But Troughton's Doctor does come off as the great improviser, so I suppose it's fitting that he shuns all things technological in order to get things done properly. In Episode One, he does show off some remarkable skills in detecting a glacier movement, timing it down to within one second of when the computer figures out the same problem a few seconds later. However, as with the scene where he spends a good few hours trying to solve a problem (which he eventually solves thanks to a quick glimpse at Penley's notes), it seems a shame that he never Googled the answer on the computer. Surely they have some form of Google in the year 3000? Or is at all back to rotary dials on computers by then?

OO1 - The Ice Warriors 1

Two things that I love about The Ice Warriors make themselves evident right after the opening theme fades down. One - the music. The music over the specially created credit sequence is spooky and ethereal, made even more effective by some dreamy, female vocals. Music similar to this would be used on almost all the (prefilmed) ice and snow sequences, and it is some of Dudley Simpson's best work ever.

Two - ONE. That is, the episode number, which, to date, has been displayed as some variation of "Episode One", but here, for this story only, are displayed in big, block letters: ONE. Such a small touch, but I have always thought it was the epitome of cool (pun only slightly intended).

Once the opening credits are over, two more things make themselves immediately noticeable. One - Peter Barkworth commands the screen from the second he walks through the door. His Leader Clent almost seems like a long lost brother of Captain Kirk with his delivery, and with a misanthropic attitude (and cane assisted limp) of Gregory House. Barkworth establishes Clent as a hard working commander-in-chief, whose faith in the decisions of the base computer seems believable without showing Clent to be insane. Oh, and speaking of the computer? Two - I couldn't understand a word it said throughout the entire episode (ed. note - I noticed that the voice was significantly altered for Episode Two. Or, sorry - TWO.)

Finally, it seems remarkably convenient that Walters called the creature that Arden found in the ice an "Ice Warrior". We'll see if the Ice Warriors start calling themselves that as this story goes on.

NN6 - The Abominable Snowmen 6

After a relatively sedate and serene five and a half episodes without a great deal of proper action going on, but the creepy level turned up considerably, Episode Six ends in a shower of pyrotechnics, exploding mountains, and smashed equipment. I was half expecting a more cerebral finale, but then, this is Doctor Who after all.

Like most of the incomplete stories, this was my third time through the reconstruction of The Abominable Snowmen, and I've enjoyed it each time less and less. That's not to say I thought it was crap, but I was enthralled with it the first time I watched it a couple years ago, but less so when I saw it again. This time around, I was either distracted by illness or by the stunning Torchwood: Children of Earth, which was airing the same week that it came time to watch Snowmen.

And so, sadly, I feel that I was never able to give my full attention to this otherwise fine story this past week, but that is part of the ups and downs of watching every single Doctor Who episode in the space of one calender year. It might be the first, but it also might not be the last. Sometimes, it does, indeed, feel like a marathon...

NN5 - The Abominable Snowmen 5

The war between science and religion that often takes place on Doctor Who results in a humiliating defeat for religion and Buddhist philosophy with the death of Rinchen. When confronted by a Yeti within the monastery, he prays to the "she-devil" (Victoria) for her to banish the beast. Instead, the Yeti kills the monk by toppling a massive statue of the Buddha on him. Symbolism has never been so cruel.

There's a couple genuinely unnerving moments in this episode. One of them features a quirky little performance from Deborah Watling when she is hypnotized by Padmasambhava, and all she can say is a panicky few words whenever The Doctor is in the vicinity. Another is the first meeting between Padmasambhava and The Doctor in 300 years, and the surprised reactions of both characters to the fact that both of them are still around to remember their first encounter.

We've heard The Doctor reference past, unseen adventures before, but this is the first time where one of these previous events have directly affected an onscreen adventure. At this stage in the show's history, it's just another layer in the mystery that is the character.

NN4 - The Abominable Snowmen 4

Victoria gets to be crafty and devious in this episode, tricking the naive Thomni and the increasingly inept Rapalchan in order to escape from her confinement. This story hasn't painted a very flattering picture for Buddhists, as all of them are well meaning in their ways, and they all think they are doing the right thing, but they are constantly being outwitted and defeated by anyone who comes from outside the monastery. Still, because of their peaceful nature, I'm worried for them. Kind characters are tough to watch die, and I fear that the Yeti will be adding some monks to the ranks of the dead before the end of the story.

After Victoria's escape, she stumbles upon the chamber of Padmasambhava for the second time in the story. Unlike the first instance, where Padmasambhava warned her to leave the area, this time she is welcomed in. We finally see the visage behind the voice that has creeped us out over the course of the first four episodes - a grotesque, uber-old husk of a man, with long creepy fingers and a chess board/Battleship game from where the Yeti are controlled. I am continually unnerved by Padmasambhava.

The Yeti are at their lumbering best, too, chasing Jamie and The Doctor up and down the mountainside. In the still photos, though, the Yeti really do look rather cuddly and cute, like the Cybermats before them. Yeti teddy bears and remote control Cybermats - the BBC missed out on a couple of gold mines back in the day...

NN3 - The Abominable Snowmen 3

Rapalchan (seen above, as played by David Baron*) is perhaps the most useless guard in the history of Doctor Who. The poor fellow is entrusted to watch the main door to the Detsen Monastery and make sure that no one leaves. Of course, anyone and anything that comes within 30 feet of the main doors manage to get by Rapalchan, be it by bowling him over, hypnosis, or some other sort of subterfuge. Poor fellow. I'm sure he means well.

Another character who is taking his licks in this story is Khrisong. At the start of the story, he is the leader of the warrior monks, and carries a certain amount of authority. After getting whipped by the Yeti in this episode, and by being proven wrong by The Doctor at every turn, he must finally admit failure and cast his lot in with what The Doctor has in store. Norman Jones, who plays Khrisong, has a marvelous voice, as evidenced in one of his later roles, Hieronymous, in The Masque of Mandragora. His Khrisong has an almost vagueness about him when it comes to his ethinicity. It's difficult to peg down what the ethnicity of the other characters are supposed to be. To be Buddhist does not necessarily mean to be Tibetan, even in 1935, but one or two (white) actors seem to trying to channel their inner East Asian, with offensive (by today's standards) results.

Songsen looks and sounds like your average bank manager, but could such a person rise to become head of the monastery? How many monks at the monastery are supposed to be Tibetan, anyway? All of them? None of them? If all, then do they all speak English, so that Travers can understand them? Or can Travers speak Tibetan, too? It's an interesting snapshot of the England of the 1960's, long before it became the multicultural hub that it is today. Finding East Asian actors was, one assumes, rather difficult in 1967, and it's not like racial attitudes of the day were likely to allow strong characters for them to be portrayed onscreen, either. Sadly, this would rear its head again in the history of the series...

*David Baron was actually noted playwright Harold Pinter's stage name at one time. Thus, Harold Pinter absolutely and definitively appeared in The Abominable Snowmen. It's true. Just ask Toby Hadoke.

NN2 - The Abominable Snowmen 2

This episode gives us our only glimpse, sadly, of moving images from what is a very impressive looking story. The long location shoot to the hills of Wales (being from Canada, and so near the Rocky Mountains, I hesitate to call anything under 2000 feet tall a "mountain") shows immediate and obvious dividends. Only the absence of snow that the production team hoped for and expected for the shoot serves to dispel the illusion of it being the Himalayas, but the well placed windy sound effects build the illusion back up.

Sound plays a big part in this whole story. The Abominable Snowmen is notable for being the only Doctor Who story to not have an incidental music score. This allows the sheer feeling of isolation to come through in the mountain scenes, as well as the quiet serenity of the scenes set in the monastery. When the monks start chanting in the background, it almost sends shivers up your spine.

Speaking of shivers and spines, the voice of Padmasambhava is genuinely creepy in both his harsh whisper voice (evil voice), but especially in its calm, soft voice. The voice has an ethereal, androgynous quality to it, making him (it?) one of the creepiest villains seen in the series yet. After the harsh tones of Daleks and Cybermen over the past few episodes, the smoothness of Padmasambhava stands out even more.

Slow moving though this story is right now, it's much like the actions of Buddhist monks in general - measured, deliberate, and nothing done without a good deal of forethought.

NN1 - The Abominable Snowmen 1

The Abominable Snowmen signals the end of an era in Doctor Who - the era of shorter stories. Apart from a few notable exceptions, Doctor Who stories had been made up exclusively of four-part serials since the end of Season 2. The winner? Fans of well-paced drama. I've never been that big a fan of the six-plus parters, as history as often tried to prove to me. Only The Power of the Daleks, thus far, has gone above and beyond and actually fully validated the need for six episodes (on account of the fact that all six episodes are utterly tremendous).

From now until the end of Patrick Troughton's run, there will be all of one (1) four-part story. That's not to say that the rest of the Troughton era will be long, drawn out, crap, but the odds are against these remaining stories. Fortunately, Episode One of Snowmen starts out well, killing off Jack Travers's fellow explorer before the opening credits are even shown. We don't see the Yeti yet, apart from The Doctor in a ludicrously oversized fur coat (boo! Fur is murder!), but that's enough for The Doctor to get captured and, thus, involved in the story.

I like that this story takes place in 1935. There doesn't seem to be a real reason for it to, which is the refreshing bit. It brings a certain randomness to The Doctor's adventures. Previous stories set on Earth either happen in a time long ago to capitalize on the costumes/history/morals/etc of the day, or the present day to capitalize on the convenience of being able to shoot location footage on an every day street or airport. Not here. Given the minimalist lifestyle of the monks in the Buddhist monastery, this story could have been just as easily set in 1967, but, thankfully, the TARDIS is able to go to different times and places than present day England. Or present day Cardiff. Hint hint.

Spooky little episode, with a stark atmosphere that can almost be heard as well as felt.

MM4 - The Tomb of the Cybermen 4

I like Doctor Who stories that don't necessarily have The Doctor winning outright. At the end of Episode Four of Tomb, nothing much has changed since the beginning of Episode One, except that Parry's expedition is leaving with a good few less crew members than it had when it arrived. The Cybermen aren't destroyed at the end, they're merely refrozen. The Cyber Controller, as we will (much) later find out, isn't dead at the end of this, either.

Which leads me to wonder - why did The Doctor want to get down to the tombs so badly if his only intention was to keep the tombs frozen? Also, why does he rig up the main doors and the controls to trigger a fatal electric shock afterwards? These actions would only punish curious explorers in the future, as the Cybermen inside the tombs, if ever they were to wake up on their own, wouldn't need the control panel once they opened the hatch to the tombs in the first place.

Despite these apparent holes (and, as mentioned previously, the rampant sexism and racism, and the occasional horrible special effect), I still found The Tomb of the Cybermen massively entertaining. Well worth finding after having been lost for 25 years. But then, we'd be happy if they found Galaxy 4.

MM3 - The Tomb of the Cybermen 3

Let's get the lesser aspects of Episode Three out of the way right now. There's a truly terrible sequence where a Cyberman picks up Toberman, raises him over his head, and throws him across the room. Sounds like a neat scene, right? But the Kirby wires that pull Toberman up are blatantly visible, he in now way looks like he's actually being lifted by the Cyberman, and the whole sequence happens silently, as well. Fail.

The Cybermats are about the most adorable monsters to ever appear in Doctor Who (except Series Four's the Adipose, naturally), which isn't the most advantageous quality to have when the monsters' intention is to kill the humans. Had we actually seen a Cybermat wreaking havoc before the climactic scene of Episode Three, we might be able to believe that they are capable of some sort of damage. But we don't, and the Cybermats only succeed in frolicking around, wagging their tails, and defying you to not want to take one or more home with you.

And what is the deal with the Cybermen's Punch & Judy voices when they're agitated and chasing after the escaping humans?

Then there's the good bits of this episode. First, George Pastell as Klieg. Pastell brings just the right amount of insanity and megalomania to the role, but not quite so much as to make it unbelievable. His monologue in the weapons testing room about him being supreme ruler and how logical it is is haunting. He's often overlooked in this midst of all the Cybermadness going on around him, but it's a terrific performance.

And then there's The Scene, the one that everyone and their dog talks about whenever they think of this story - the one where The Doctor and Victoria talk about families and memories, about wanting to remember them, not mourn them, and how their lives are like those of nobody else. It's obviously wonderful, and more words have been written about it by others that nothing I could say here could possibly be original. Suffice it to say, though, that I'm never entirely convinced that The Doctor is speaking the truth when he talks of his "family". Troughton's Doctor has already in this episode held his cards close to the vest, revealing only enough to move the humans along in their desire to open the tombs (which is what The Doctor wants anyway). At times, he also says what he knows that the human expedition will want to hear, and do what needs to be done, surreptitiously, to allow the expedition to advance.

I think he's doing the same thing here. How else can he possibly relate to what Victoria is going through? Just like with the expedition, he is merely telling Victoria what she wants to, what she needs to, hear in order for her to get past her current grief and become a better person.

Subtext aside, isn't Patrick Troughton a bloody marvelous actor? Gradually, I'm seeing why so many people (especially his fellow actors) rate him as the best Doctor ever.

MM2 - The Tomb of the Cybermen 2

The sets in The Tomb of the Cybermen are devastatingly impressive, especially the main control room where much of the action takes place, but also, as we see for the first time in Episode Two, the tombs themselves. Such a large scale has only been briefly hinted at prior to this in Doctor Who, if at all. Peter Bryant was in the producer's chair for this story as a sort of a test to see if he could handle the job once Innes Lloyd moved on from the post. Whether or not his willingness to impress his BBC bosses made him and his supportive team go that extra mile in this isn't clear, but one thing sure is - this story looks fantastic.

There's the most overt moment of The Doctor's meddling in the human's affairs when he very slyly operates a switch that Klieg misses in his logical sequence to try and open the door to the tomb. The camera zooms right in on Troughton's hand when this sequence occurs, but a much more subtle bit direction happens when Toberman sneaks out to, as we later find out, sabotage the rocket ship, thus stranding the humans on Telos for the time being. Toberman walks quietly out of one room, behind the action; the camera never focuses on him. In the next shot, while the main conversation in the room is going on, he quietly slips out the main door, in the background, barely noticed by the viewer or anyone else in the room. And it works splendidly. If we knew what he was up to, it may have made sense to focus on him more. But his motives, and thus, the focus on him, are vague at this stage.

Unfortunately, though, we are given a couple of reminders that although this story is set in the 25th century, its ideals and morals belong back in 1967. The two women, Kaftan and Victoria, are made to stay behind at every occasion, and Toberman is merely a dumb, strong, black slave to Kaftan. If he didn't speak at all, it might have been made more believable (although that would have made for two stories in a row featuring giant, silent, strongmen). In this story, though, you'd almost expect Toberman to utter "Yes, Massa" at every given opportunity. The women's and civil rights agendas still had a long way to go in Doctor Who at this time...

The most impressive sequence in this episode is, of course, the Cybermen emerging from their tombs. It began the long tradition of Cybermen breaking through thin plastic film, for one, but there is nothing quite as creepy as a Cyberman advancing slowly upon you. When they, and their Cyber Controller, finally emerge, they are huge. They all tower over the humans. As if their look and their height wasn't enough, then comes the words, spoken in that classic 1960's Cyber-voice : "You belong to uzzz. You will become like uzzz."

Punch the bloody air...!

MM1 - The Tomb of the Cybermen 1

It's been 17 years since I first saw this story, but the most thrilling aspect of it, still, is the novelty of the fact that I can see it. When the tapes for this, long since thought lost forever, turned up out of nowhere in Hong Kong in late 1991, I, along with the entire Doctor Who community, were over the moon with delight. That a complete version of a story could turn up after all these years, and a perceived classic at that, is so good it's almost suspicious.

Were the years and the memory kind to Tomb? Judging by the first episode, I would say yes. There's some great location work in the opening scene, and a fascinating TARDIS scene, shot in film and with a distinct amount of reverb, in which we finally hear The Doctor reveal his age.

Watching other Troughton reconstructions has shown how much of a devious Doctor he was, but this story was, for modern day fans, the first time we actually got to see it. The Doctor desperately wants to enter the Cyber-tomb, but he doesn't have the authority within the group of humans he's just met, so he makes sure, discreetly, that they manage to make it through the tests and trials that are thrown their way.

Like the previous Cybermen stories, we don't get a good look at them during the first episode, but there is no mystery in the fact that they are there, this time. When we finally see one at the end of the episode, it's just a dummy, but I'm glad to see that the costume design from The Moonbase hasn't been changed much, as it is still my favourite.